Assyrians Without Borders, a Sweden based aid organization, has spent the past year reassessing its mission and earlier work. The organization says it is moving away from short term projects that offer immediate emotional satisfaction and toward initiatives with the potential to deliver lasting impact.
Founded in 2007, Assyrians Without Borders, often referred to as AWB, is built on principles of transparency and accountability. The organization holds a so called "90-account", a designation reserved for Swedish charities that meet strict standards on fund usage and ensure that a substantial share of donations goes directly to their stated purpose.
“No more Christmas presents”
Among the initiatives AWB has decided to discontinue is the distribution of Christmas presents to children in Assyria. Speaking to the Post, AWB chairman Nipour Abdulahad said the organization had gradually shifted toward small, symbolic projects with limited long term value.
“We came to the realization that over the years we had drifted toward small, symbolic projects such as food distribution and Christmas present distribution, but these projects were not really bringing any change to the lives of the people we want to help. In fact, we concluded that families were becoming more dependent on us instead of more independent,” he said.
Within the organization’s leadership, projects such as gift distribution increasingly came to be seen as problematic. According to Abdulahad, they consumed time and resources while making it harder to carry out larger initiatives with the potential for meaningful and lasting impact.
“Of course, if a humanitarian situation were to suddenly arise, like when Assyrians had to flee the Khabour area, then we would provide short term relief aid. But there are no such needs now when it comes to Assyrians,” he said.
The practice of distributing Christmas presents has become especially widespread, with Assyrian organizations in some cases appearing to compete with one another to distribute as many gifts as possible. These are often inexpensive plastic toys that photograph well and generate attention on social media, but which critics argue can also be humiliating and foster dependency. Some believe such projects tend to serve donors and organizations more than the intended beneficiaries, while diverting resources from efforts that could empower families to provide for themselves.
“It looks good and feels good, but I am afraid it does not do very much good,” Abdulahad said. “We want to leave short term work and focus on the long term, helping people build their own independence. Distributing presents to children does absolutely nothing if our goal is to help our people remain in Assyria. In fact, it runs counter to that goal.”
Seeking long term impact
With internal consensus to move away from small scale initiatives, AWB has shifted its focus toward larger projects aimed at generating income and strengthening local self sufficiency.
Earlier this year, the organization implemented a new project in the Nahla Valley, an area made up of eight entirely Assyrian villages that have been affected by PKK terrorism and land encroachment by Kurdish settlers. The project, with a budget of 300,000 Swedish kronor, involved the purchase of a rice harvester.
“It has significantly improved the villagers’ ability to become more independent and to benefit more from their agricultural work,” Abdulahad said.
Prior to the arrival of the harvester, Assyrian farmers in the area were dependent on Kurdish settlers who owned machinery and greater resources. In many cases, they were forced to pay the same actors encroaching on their land to harvest their crops.
The rice harvester at work in the fields of the Nahla valley. Video: AWB/Nahla Organization
The harvester represents the first phase of a broader initiative named Akkare, which aims to modernize and strengthen agriculture in the Nahla Valley. The project is driven by the villages themselves, having come together and formed a cooperative called the Nahla Organization. The harvester is formally owned by the cooperative and rented to Assyrian farmers at below market rates. Funds generated through rentals are set aside for maintenance and repairs.
“The harvester has been a major help to the community, but ideally they would need two more machines given the size of their agricultural lands,” he said.
A renewed focus on Assyria
Alongside its shift away from symbolic projects, AWB is also returning to an original principle that, according to its leadership, had been gradually lost over time.
“The original intention of this organization was to provide aid only to Assyrians living in Assyria. Over time, that principle was forgotten or overlooked, and a large share of our funds was directed to Assyrians outside of Assyria,” Abdulahad said.
At one point, up to 80 percent of the organization’s annual budget was allocated to projects outside of Assyria.
“Going forward, we want to focus on helping Assyrians living in Assyria,” he said.
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